


To Win The War

by Smol_Might



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Avatar/airbender!Ruby, Bad Parenting, Blake needs a hug, Bumbleby - Freeform, Earthbender!Blake, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, Faunus Racism, Firebender!Raven, Firebender!Yang, Firebending!JNPR, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Previous Avatar!Ozpin, RWBY as a family, RWBY au, Ruby Needs A Hug, War, Waterbender!Weiss, Weiss needs a hug, Whiterose, Yang and Ruby don't know they're sisters yet, Yang needs a hug, all the earthbenders are faunus, avatar AU, but they will, cinder sorta represents azula, jnpr vs rwby, the water tribes are atlas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smol_Might/pseuds/Smol_Might
Summary: "So, let me get this straight," the man sniffed, "the avatar..." he looked to Ruby, "is travelling with a stuck up waterbender," he looked to Weiss, "a filthy faunus earthbender," he looked to Blake, "and a firebender, one of the ones who caused this war in the first place?" He didn't even bother looking at Yang.Ruby nodded, "That's right."The man scoffed, "Why?"Yang stepped forward, "Because she needs all the fucking help she can to defeat my mom."_________Or, a RWBY Avatar au
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 15
Kudos: 95





	1. The Avatar

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first RWBY story so please excuse it if there's OOC. 
> 
> I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while, but I've never written it down before one day I thought, "Why not?" So here we are.
> 
> Anyway I hope you all enjoy!

_' I didn't mean to kill him.'_

She shook fearfully as her red eyes scanned the child for any mark of life. 

_'It was an accident!'_

Oh, gods, she had killed a child. A young child, with his full life ahead of him, he could've lived, expressed joy, eaten, partied, played, but he couldn't, because of her. His burnt and worn body was all she could see, almost completely deaf to the shocked gasps, whispers and cries of the crowd.

She didn't intend to. She was still on edge after an Angi Kai, and the boy had crept up behind her

A guard roughly grabbed her shoulder, "Your mother wishes to see you."

The harsh whisper sent a shiver down her spine, but it didn't deter her from the fact the she had just killed a child

The crowd seperated in fear as the guard roughly pushed her forward, spear pressed up against her back. Her red uniform was turning darker as the blood dripped down it.

Not her blood.

The golden buttons and lace were smeared in the crimson liquid, just a tone darker her eyes.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't disappoint her mother again, she couldn't confront the fire nation.

Flames flickered in her hands as she whipped around and grasped the spear, pushing against the blade digging into her palm.

The guard growled and they pushed their weapon forward, only to recoil in shock as the metal started to melt.

"Stand down." They commanded.

She threw the flames in front of her, sweeping her leg across the floor in a half circle to create a barrier of flames, before bolting in the opposite direction, trying to shake off the raising number of guards. 

She caught sight of the gates closing, and she slid under them just as they closed. Knowing she wasn't safe yet, she ran towards the dock, looking for one of her only friends.

"Pyrrha!" She cried, catching sight of the redhead.

The young woman looked up, "Yang?"

Yang caught her breath as she stopped running and stood infront of her friend, "I... need your help..."

Pyrrha put a hand on the blonde's shoulder to help steady her, "What is it? And why are you covered in blood?"

A shout caused Pyrrha to look upwards, and she saw multiple guards making their way to the dock.

"You need to get out of here." Pyrrha realized. Yang nodded, and without a word, Pyrrha made her way over to a small ship.

"If you're careful, you should be able to sneak out on this, they're leaving soon, you should be able to hide in the boiler room, we all know no one ever goes in there."

Yang hugged Pyrrha, "Thanks, P. Cover for me, yeah?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Of course."

They both set about going their separate ways before Yang called back.

"Pyrrha?"

The red head turned around, "Yes?"

"Just... whatever they tell you... about what I did... you have to trust me when I say I didn't mean to. I know it doesn't mean I didn't do it, but you have to know I wouldn't do it on purpose."

Pyrrha smiled, "Of course, Yang, you're my best friend."

Yang returned the smile, "You too, P. Well, see you around I guess."

Pyrrha waved, "Take care, Yang. But hurry, or they'll capture you."

Yang was glad Pyrrha warned her, for just as she slipped inside the ship, she could hear the woman say something to the guards.

She did it. She got out. 

_'But I killed a child. I can't escape from that anytime soon.'_

¤ ¤ ¤

_'I did it! I I escaped!_ ' Was all Weiss Schnee could think as she used her bending to push forward her little boat. She had actually escaped quite a while ago (a day or two?) but she couldn't get over the fact that she had gotten away from her father.

'Poor mother. And Winter. And Whitely, I guess.'

She had told them of her plans to escape, but none of them wanted in, but they didn't stop her plans or tell Jaques either. She was never going to call that man 'father' again.

She knew that she was nearing land by now, she could see it in the distance, and her map had told her it was a small island. It didn't read the name on the map, but she could recall that it was home to Hunters.

She bended some water into a flask, "For safekeeping." She told herself, before realizing how croaky her voice sounded from lack of use.

She almost pulled her hair back up into it's signature side ponytail, before deciding to leave it down, "Jaques always wanted it up, well, now I'll wear it however I want." 

She threw her hair tie into the water, and bended a little bit to make sure it was a good distance away. She sighed in releif, she was truly free.

But she would really need a bath when she got to the Island.

A strong wave caused her to grip the sides of the boat with a yelp. She focused on her bending again, and steered herself back on course.

She let out a gasp when she clearly saw the island.

It was burned to ashes.

A large ship at its coast told her exactly who was responsible, "Fire nation."

She didn't even try to keep the snarl out of her voice. She got out of the boat and took cover behind what remained of the forrest. 

She glared as a squadron of Fire Nation soldiers walked past, beforeher attention was drawn by something else.

A young woman who appeared to be the same age as her, seemed to be hiding from her own army.

"The Fire Princess?" 

She was not wrong That did seem to be the daughter of the Fire Queen. Weiss felt a surge of anger sweep over her

_'She's responsible for this.'_

¤ ¤ ¤

_'It's his fault.'_

Blake Belladonna kicked a rock to try see if there was any more earthbenders in the area who could pick up the vibration.

She regretted coming here, Adam had said that the Fire Nation hadn't discovered the island yet, and that it was entirely safe. She truly wished she brought back up with her, but here she was alone on an island infested with Fire Nation soldiers. 

She waited, but felt no response. Her cat ears flicked as she heard a loud explosion and multiple yells. 

Feeling a sense of dread overwhelm her, she followed the noises, bending a boulder to try cover up any noises she may have made as she ran.

In the distance, she could see a white haired waterbender staring down what seemed to be a firebender. Normally, she would rush in and help, but something about the firebender seemed to... distract her.

One, she was quite pretty. Her golden hair, shimmering red eyes. 

Two, the smell of blood coming off her alarmed her when she found out it wasn't the firebenders. It smelled too young to be a adults. _It was a child's._

Three, the firebender wasn't attacking. In fact, she held her hands up in clear surrender, but the waterbender continued her attack, throwing a wave of water at her. 

The firebender stayed still, nonetheless

Blake thought something about that was... pretty.

Then she realized that this woman was a part of the _Fire Nation_ and she shouldn't be thinking about her like that.

Without a second thought, she hurled a boulder the firebender's way.

She was about to make her presence known before a large red dragon landed on the sand.

¤ ¤ ¤

"Easy, Zwei." Ruby said, softly patting the dragon's neck. The avatar had been travelling for a while, before she spotted a commotion on Beacon Island. She was disappointed, she had been travelling for so long and still only knew how to airbend. 

She took in the sight before her, there was a firebender with her hands up in defeat, clearly a bit stirred up after dodging a boulder. Ruby saw that in the trees was an earthbender that seemed way too interested in the firebender. She looked over to the waterbender, who looked ready to lash out, but felt her eyes linger a bit longer than necessary for the white haired woman. She jumped down from Zwei, and the dragon went to find someplace to lie down.

The earthbender gasped, "That's the avatar."

The waterbender narrowed her eyes at the dark haired woman, "I can see that, nitwit!"

Ruby cleared her throat, "What's going on here."

The waterbender spoke up, "That brute is the Fire Princess!"

The Fire Princess coughed into her hand, "Former; I left."

The earthbender looked sceptical, but interested, "Why?"

The red eyed woman laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know, kitten."

Ruby sent a rush of air to the firebender, knocking her off her feet. She made her way over and put her foot on the golden haired woman's chest. 

"We all would, actually." Ruby often tried to avoid using excessive force, but if what the waterbender said was true, then she needed to know why the Fire Princess left.

The waterbender came up behind Ruby, "So, the avatar then? I'm Weiss Schnee, waterbender."

Ruby turned around, still keeping a foot on the firebender, "Nice to meet you Weiss, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Rose?" The earthbender spoke up as she made her way over. 

'A cat faunus.' Ruby realized. No wonder she recognized her name. When her mother was alive, she fought for the rights of faunus equality.

"That's right. You've heard of my mom?"

The earthbender nodded, "Which faunus hasn't?"

"Good point. So, what's your name?"

"Blake. Nice to meet you, Ruby." Blake's eyes drifted towards Weiss, "You too, Weiss."

Weiss looked shocked, before relaxing slightly and stretching out her hand, "A pleasure."

Blake accepted the hand and they shook.

"This is nice and all, but I have enough lung problems without having the strongest being in the world standing on my chest."

All attention imediatly went back to the firebender. Ruby saw the other two glare at the woman.

"Why did you leave?"

Ruby saw the firebender's cockiness falter for a second. She seemed reluctant to speak.

"I... made a mistake. I've never been fond of killing and attacking innocents, and I've tried to avoid it the most I can. I made a mistake, so I left."

Ruby searched the red eyes for any deception, and discovered none.

Without hesitation, she lifted her foot on the golden haired woman's chest, ignoring Weiss' gasp of surprise, and offered a hand to help her up.

The firebender took it, uttering a thanks.

Once she was stood up, she looked to the other two, "So... Weiss? And... Blake? Is it?" 

Weiss scoffed at her, while Blake politely nodded. Ruby was glad Blake was making an effort, but couldn't blame Weiss for being cautious.

Ruby locked eyes with the firebender, "Okay, what's your name?"

"Yang."

Ruby looked around and then whistled for Zwei, who imediatly came bounding out the trees.

She attended to the other three, "You all look like you could use a ride."

Ruby hadn't really considered it, but that day changed the whole track of history.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why won't you two just get along?!" Ruby yelled dragging them to the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments from the last chapter! I didn't expect this story to get this much attention!
> 
> Anyway, take some Weiss and Yang bonding and some jnpr shenanigans

_Mom! Mom!"_

_Raven turned around to see the sight of her ten year old daughter running towards her with a huge smile on her face._

_Her blonde hair was up in bunches, and her red shirt mismatched with her lilac eyes._

_"This better be important, girl."_

_Despite her cold tone, the girl's smile never faltered._

_"Look!" Yang lifted her palms to show a flame between them._

_It was tiny, miniscule even, but the young firebender was proud nontheless._

_However, Raven was not as impressed._

_She scoffed and turned her back on Yang, "You think_ that's _impressive? You should see Cinder; she's leagues above you."_

_Yang's hands lowered and her face expressed her hurt._

_"Wipe that pathetic look off your face. Continue being weak like this, and I might consider making Cinder the heir!"_

_Raven walked off, failing to notice Yang's eyes turn blood red._

¤ ¤ ¤ 

"You look sad." Yang looked to her left to see Blake sitting there.

They were currently on Zwei (as they had learned was the name of the dragon) along with Ruby and Weiss, who were in a very _verbal_ conversation.

_"I only wanted to know where you got your scar from!"_ Came the wailing voice of Ruby.

_"It was unprompted and not needed!"_ Followed the stern voice of Weiss.

Yang sighed, refusing to meet the earthbender's eyes.

"It's nothing, I was just... remembering." She heard the faunus move, and she hoped for a second that the other woman had left, before realizing she had only moved closer.

Blake put her hand on Yang's shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't kn--"

"Oh, look! An island!" Ruby's excited voice cut her off.

Blake gave her a look as if to say, _We'll finish this conversation later._

Yang rolled her eyes and looked over the edge off the dragon, "It doesn't look like there's anyone living there."

Weiss scoffed, "I wonder who's fault that could be."

Yang went quiet.

Ruby frowned at Weiss before patting Zwei's neck, "It's perfect to stay the night, especially since it's turning dark."

Yang looked at the sun, and sure enough, it was going down.

"That sounds like a good idea." Blake said from behind her.

Ruby smiled before spining around scratching Zwei's head, "We're gonna go to the island, okay, buddy?"

Zwei grumbled in response and dived down towards land. It wasn't exactly a fast descent, but it wasn't slow either. The dragon completely missed the coast, and instead landed in a clearing in the middle of the small jungle like terrain. 

Zwei streched and lay down, allowing them to jump off. 

Ruby threw her hands over her head, "Alright, then! Time to get set up for camp!"

Weiss' face dropped, "We're... we're sleeping here?! In the dirt?!"

"What did you expect?" Blake questioned.

Weiss' face went red, whether it was from anger or embarrasment, no one would ever know, "I...."

"Great, so now that that's sorted--" Yang began, only for Weiss to glare at her.

"Excuse me, I was speaking!" 

Yang laughed, "It didn't sound very important, Ice Queen."

Weiss blanched, "Don't you _dare_ call me that, you brute!"

Yang's eyes narrowed, "Well, don't you call me _that_!"

Ruby quickly stepped in, " _Oookaaay...._ let's all just take a deep breath and calm down."

Weiss and Yang glared at each other for a few seconds before turning away.

Ruby looked between them and then back at Blake, who just shrugged.

The avatar sighed, before an idea came to mind.

"Hey, Blake, could you help me build some shelter?"

The faunus looked confused, ears tilting accordingly, before Ruby nodded her head towards the other two.

Blake grinned, "Okay."

The dark haired woman walked over to the avatar as Ruby looked to the other two, "Why don't you two go collect some firewood?"

Yang and Weiss' faces turned into pure horror.

"With her?!" They both yelled at the same time, pointing at each other.

Ruby nodded, "Mhm!"

"No way!"

"You are unbelievable! She's a Fire Nation Royal!"

"Not anymore!"

"Just because you left doesn't mean you aren't evil anymore!"

"I'm not evil!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ruby yelled.

Both the fire and waterbender went quiet.

Ruby stormed forward and grabbed their ears, dragging them along, "You. And. You. Will. Go. And. Collect. The. Fire. Wood. Together." 

She threw them towards the trees and raised a hand when they both tried to speak, "I said go."

With one final glare, the pair walked off into the trees.

Sighing in relief, Ruby turned around, only to find four perfectly sized earth tents.

Blake shuffled nervously, "Was... I not supposed to start?"

¤ ¤ ¤

"So, did you hear what happened?" Pyrrha looked up at the voice of her excitable friend, Nora.

Pyrrha shook her head, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Nora moved so she was in front of the redhead, she held up both of her hands in fists, before putting one finger up on each one.

"This finger," she wriggled the right one, "is Yang. And this finger," she wriggled the left, "is Mercury's brother."

Suddenly, the finger that represented Yang caught on fire, but it was quickly thrown to the one representing the youngest Black sibling.

Pyrrha looked at the display in shock, "That's... what killed him?"

Nora nodded, "Yeah, I was shocked too. It just doesn't seem like something Yang would do..."

"Well, considering her treatment, it isn't suprizing that she snapped." The voice of the Fire Nation general joined the conversation. He wore a uniform similar to that of a typical guard's however his sleves were cut off, and he had his hair in a bun.

Nora squealed, throwing her arms around him, "Ren!"

Ren smiled, returning the gesture to his girlfriend, before nodding his head sadly at Pyrrha, who still looked distraught.

"What do you mean her treatment? We were all great friends to her." The redhead pondered aloud, trying to figure out _why Yang did it_. 

"He means what we're all thinking." Came a second voice. The trio looked up, and there stood Jaune, Ren's second in command.

"But it's Yang, she wouldn't..."

Jaune sighed, "I know she wouldn't, but the Fire Queen has requested to speak with the four of us."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, "Just us four?"

When Jaune nodded Nora scoffed, "I bet she has her stupid little pawn, Cinder, there too."

Ren cleared his throat and whispered, "Mercury's watching us, we should go."

Pyrrha watched the rest of her friends start walking.

_"Just... whatever they tell you... about what I did... you have to trust me when I say I didn't mean to. I know it doesn't mean I didn't cause it, but you have to know I wouldn't do it on purpose."_

Pyrrha didn't know who to believe, one of her childhood friends, or the ruler of the Fire Nation.

¤ ¤ ¤

"That's not a stick, you nitwit!" Weiss yelled, witnessing Yang trying to pull a branch off of a fallen tree.

"I _know_ it's not a stick but all off the sticks are wet and they won't light! I've told you this!" Yang growled, throwing her hands up in the air and giving up on the branch, instead walking off to find another.

Weiss rolled her eyes, following her, "Then why won't you use your fire to light it instead?"

Yang froze for a second, before continuing.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and picking up a stick, bending the water off it.

Yang whipped around, "Why didn't you do that before?!"

Sighing, Weiss answered, "You didn't ask."

Yang screamed in frustration and kicked the branch off of the tree.

Weiss smirked, "Why didn't you do that before?" 

A screech sounded out.

Weiss scoffed, "I knew you were angry but I didn't know--"

"That wasn't me." Yang interrupted quiety, holding up a finger and walking backwards slowly.

"What?!"

"Be quiet!"

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by a giant snake shooting out of the ground and coming towards them.

Weiss imediatly bended what she could off of the damp ground and sent it towards the snake's head, freezing it on impact. The snake struggled against the ice, and it began to crack.

"Fire brute! Use your bending to melt the ice! I need more water to bend!" Weiss yelled, expecting a rush of fire, but recieved none.

She looked back at the firebending but was annoyed (she was shocked but would never admit it) at what she saw.

Yang was standing there, with her arms on fire, but had yet to move to send it to the snake. Instead she was staring at it like an idiot.

Scoffing, Weiss grabbed a branch and lit it on the fire coming Yang, and then held it in front of the ice, begging it to melt, and the second it did, she bended it so they formed ice crystals and sent it down the snake's throat, choking it. 

The snake thrashed it's head, as if trying to dislodge the crystals, before it finally fell to the ground, dead.

Weiss whipped around, "What was that?!"

Yang stared right back, "What was what?!"

"Why didn't you use your bending?!"

"Is that really important _now_?! It's dead!"

"Well, you could've helped! If you want to really to leave the Fire Nation then you have to do something of use! Otherwise you're just another thorn in the side!"

Yang growled, feeling her eyes turning an even darker red Despite this, when she spoke, she was quiet, "You want to know why I didn't use my bending?"

Weiss just stood there, shocked by the tone of voice.

"It's because if I use it, then I'm everything you've said I am: a monster, just an evil monster who couldn't be good to save her life!" Yang didn't even bother to hide her anger.

Weiss was quiet.

"Firebending isn't like all the other bendings. Air's fast, water's graceful and Earth's one of the strongest around. But fire, fire destroys. _Fire kills._ "

Weiss stared for a second, before walking closer to the firebender, "If I'm being completely honest, Yang,"

The use of her actual name made her look up.

"You don't seem like a bad person, in fact, you seem like a great one... but it's hard for me to accept that... I mean, I've grown up in a world where the Fire Nation is the monster under the bed in children's stories. A world where they've killed thousands. I've grown up in a world where I was taught that you were the enemy. I mean... have _you_ killed anyone?"

Yang was silent, and that was all Weiss needed.

"But so did you."

Yang looked up in suprize.

"You also grew up in this world. You were taught that what the Fire Nation is doing is right. You were taught that the rest of us were the enemy. But the thing is, you realized that it wasn't right, and you ran away from it. I respect that."

The firebender still seemed uneasy, "You... do...?"

Weiss nodded, "Yes. And I know we haven't had the best start, but... if you stop being so _angry_ all the time... I'll... start to be more _humble_ towards you."

Yang smirked, "Now that I can get behind."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Now, come on, the other two might start wondering where we've been and abandon us if we take to long, and the gods know you don't want _Blake_ to abandon you."

"Shut up."

¤ ¤ ¤

"So... you just feel the vibrations in the ground... and that's how you know if there's people nearby?" Ruby asked.

Blake nodded, "Exactly like that, in fact, here comes Yang and Weiss right now."

Just like the faunus had said, the pair walked out of the trees and into the clearing, arms full of firewood. But what suprized Blake and Ruby is that they couldn't feel any coldness between the freezerburn duo.

"Is this enough?" Yang asked, dumping her pile on the ground, quickly followed by Weiss'.

Ruby grinned and answered quickly, "Yep, that should be enough! Hey, Yang why don't you light these up for us?"

Yang froze, "I... um..."

Weiss quickly stepped in, "Why don't you show us how _you_ used to make fires, incase for some reason Yang _can't_ use her bending one day?"

Ruby nodded, "Good idea!"

Blake spoke up, "Before we start, could I talk to you two?"

Weiss and Yang shared a look, before nodding.

Blake led them a little while away from the avatar, "Okay, so while you were gone I was talking to Ruby and it turns out she only knows how to airbend."

It was Weiss and Yang's turn to be shocked.

"But she's the avatar!" Yang exclaimed.

"I know," answered Blake, "but it got me thinking. Each of us know how to bend one of the elements Ruby needs to learn, right?"

The pair nodded.

"So what if we... I don't know, taught her?"

Yang answered first, "I have so many ideas on what to call our team!"

Then Weiss, "Sure, why not? It's not like we have anything better to do."

"Guys, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Yang asked.

"Depends on what you're thinking." Blake answered, smirking.

"Team avatar!"

¤ ¤ ¤

Pyrrha shuffled nervously as she, Nora, Jaune and Ren stood in front of the Fire Queen.

Ren, being the highest in ranking, bowed, "My Queen, you wished to see us?" 

Raven leaned back in her throne, "Yes. I did. Cinder?"

The younger brunette walked foward to face the four, "As you are aware, Yang Xiao Long escaped today after murdering the youngest of the Black family. You four were close with her, therefore we want you to track her down, and do not return until you have her in your custody. Dead or alive."

Pyrrha swallowed down some bile that had been growing in her throat the the mere thought of killing Yang, and she could tell the rest of her friends felt the same.

"Is that all, My Queen?" Ren queried, more of a automatic response than an actual question.

Raven stood up and put her hand son Cinder's shoulder, "Should anything more... drastic should occur, I shall be sending Cinder to take over, and you shall all be stripped of your titles."

Ren bowed, "Of course, My Queen. We shall be on our way."

Raven sat back down, "And remember, _dead or alive._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three should be coming soon!

**Author's Note:**

> And there's the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll see you all next chapter!


End file.
